


Hat Trick

by DinoDoesWords



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Hockey, Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 23:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3097268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoDoesWords/pseuds/DinoDoesWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra is the hot new hockey player at Republic City High. Asami is denying her sexuality, but wow, Korra is really hot... And really good at hockey. And hot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so bear with me as I learn how to write these characters. Also, I promise this will be finished eventually, but due to procrastination issues, school, questionable mental stability etc., I won't always write regularly and the updates won't always be super regular. Constructive criticism and edits of mistakes are always welcome. I'm on tumblr at dino_spews_words.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Asami meets Korra after their high school hockey game.

Asami had seen the girl in passing before – in the hallways, at lunch – but had never had to opportunity to realize just how damn attractive this girl was. She had bright blue eyes, chin-length brown hair plastered to her head with sweat, and a muscular build, and according to Mako, her name was –  
  
“–Korra. She’s new this year, and she’s been a very welcome addition to the hockey team.”  
  
“‘Very welcome addition,’ my ass,” Korra jeers with a confident, crooked grin. “Remind me who already has two hat tricks this season? In three games? Playing against opponents who are all bigger than her?”  
  
“Shut up, Korra, I’ve seen you throw said opponents into the boards like it was nothing,” says Mako. “Anyway, thanks for coming to the game, Asami. I’ve gotta go find Bolin and take him home.”  
  
“No problem, Mako. Also, I saw Opal over by the snack bar, so Bolin’s probably over there,” Asami replies.  
  
“Of course he is. Thanks.” With that, Mako turned and walked off, leaving Asami alone with Korra.  
  
“Wanna keep me company for a bit? My ride’s not here yet,” Korra says to Asami.  
  
“Yeah, sure,” Asami replies. “You don’t drive?”  
  
“Nope. I’m old enough too, and I have my permit, but I’ve only driven a couple times, and neither time went very well,” says Korra. Asami finds the fact that this girl can’t drive quite endearing.  
  
“Oh, my. So are you a junior?”  
  
“Yep. What about you?”  
  
“I’m a senior. Same as Mako.”  
  
“Ahh, so you guys have probably known each other for a while, huh?” Korra’s question comes with a rather suggestive eyebrow raise.  
  
“No, we aren’t dating.”  
  
“Wow, it’s like you read my mind.”  
  
“Well, I get asked that quite often,” says Asami. And she does – people seem to think that she and Mako would make the perfect match. She was rich, popular, and beautiful; Mako was athletic, also popular, and all the girls found him attractive. “But really, I don’t see him as anything other than a friend.”  
  
“I see.” There was a pause. Korra pulls her phone out of her pocket and, evidently seeing no notifications, puts it back in her pocket. “So… Um… College?” she asks. She is obviously not great at small talk, but Asami is glad that Korra is continuing to talk to her.  
  
“Now, what kind of a question is ‘college’?” Asami teases. She is impressed with how easy it is to talk to this girl she finds so attractive, but then again, she has a lot of experience hiding her attraction to girls. “I’m assuming you mean where I’m going and what I’m studying, yeah?” Korra nods, keeping her eyes focused on Asami’s. “I’ll be studying aerospace engineering. I’ve applied to MIT, Caltech, Purdue, and a couple in-state schools as well.”  
  
“Sounds cool. When do you find out if you got in?”  
  
“I should find out by next month, I think.”  
  
Korra shifts her gaze from Asami to her phone, which has just signaled a text. “Ah, there’s my ride. It was nice meeting you, Asami.” Korra easily lifts the hockey bag sitting at her feet and grabs her battered stick from its spot leaning against the bleachers. “See you around!”  
  
“Nice to meet you too. Bye!”  
  
As Korra walks away, Asami takes a deep breath and sighs, reminding herself that this girl will just be an infatuation like all the other girls – intense, but brief.  
  
Still, she has to allow herself more than a brief thought of Korra’s butt as she walks to her car. She is only human, after all.  
  
*****  
  
Asami pulls up the long drive way leading from the street to the back of her house and parks in the garage. She locks her car, shuts the garage door, and heads inside the house from the back door.  
  
Her father, Hiroshi, greets her from the kitchen, where he’s stirring something in a pot on the stove. “Hello, Asami. How was the game?”  
  
“It was great, Dad. We won 3-1 on a hat trick from that new girl, Korra. She’s an incredible player,” Asami replies.  
  
“They have a girl on their team now? Oh my,” says Hiroshi. He seems genuinely confused. Asami grimaces behind his back. Her father entertained some rather old-fashioned values, but she had hoped he wouldn’t think anything of a girl playing on Republic City High’s hockey team. “Well, I suppose if she’s really as good as you say, we’ll just have to get used to having her around. Ah – tell me, how did Mako do?” Hiroshi asks. It was no secret that he wanted Asami to try to win the affections of Mako; however, his constant hint-dropping wears on Asami, who wants nothing to do with Mako, or any boy for that matter, in the romance department but hates being reminded of her sexuality, of which she is ashamed.  
  
“He did well. How much longer ‘til dinner?” she asks, wanting to change the subject and maybe get out of the kitchen.  
  
“It should be about half an hour.”  
  
“Okay. I’m going to get started on my homework, then.” Asami walks through the kitchen to the foyer and up the wide, sophisticatedly designed main staircase. The hallway, carpeted in a rich red with about a foot between each edge and the wall, extended to the left and right at the top of the staircase. She turns left and walks to her room at the end of the hall. With the dull thump of too many binders and books, she throws her backpack on the floor next to her desk and retrieves her German binder to do that day’s short assignment.  
  
Thirty minutes later, her German is complete and her father calls her for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, if the formatting on this looks wonky, sorry. This is my first time encountering HTML and it's kinda ???


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is here, featuring questionably accurate descriptions of a hockey game and emotionally conflicted Asami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite underwhelming if you ask me, but ugh. Whatever. I have higher hopes for the next one. Speaking of the next chapter, today was my first day back to school and we got no mercy on the homework load. I guess you can probably expect the next chapter within the next two weeks?

Asami attends Republic City High’s fourth hockey game of the season, just as she attends all their home games, but she has more motivation now than just a love of hockey: she gets to watch Korra play.Asami attends Republic City High’s fourth hockey game of the season, just as she attends all their home games, but she has more motivation now than just a love of hockey: she gets to watch Korra play.

Korra is obviously the best player on the ice, and from the way she sometimes hogs the puck, it’s clear she knows this. Asami watches both the coach and the other players on Korra’s line chastise Korra multiple times throughout the game. Still, she nets an impressive breakaway goal in the first period and assists Mako’s goal in the second.

The score is 2-0 to Republic City going into the third period and it’s obvious that the other team, White Falls High, is frustrated. They start playing dirty at the same time the refs apparently go blind. Asami sighs in exasperation with the Republic City parents after two missed tripping calls. She yells in frustration with them after a blatant case of interference with the goaltender that gets White Falls their first goal of the game.

The bad call obviously frustrates Korra. After the whistle is blown, Bolin has to physically stop her from going after the White Falls player who knocked over the goalie, and two plays later, she gets sent to the penalty box for cross-checking.

White Falls ties up the game on the power play. There is 6:38 left in the game. Korra is released from the penalty box.

Despite Republic City’s effort, the final buzzer sounds with the score still tied at two. Asami watches Mako, Bolin, and Korra comfort each other and their teammates on their way to the locker room after grudgingly shaking hands with White Falls. She heads to the warming room to await her friends.

Bolin and Korra walk out together, and Bolin catches sight of Asami, waving to her across the warming room. He looks dejected, and Korra is brooding angrily.

“Hey guys,” Asami greets. “Sorry your refs went blind. You totally deserved that game. You played great.”

“Thanks. Ah, man, I just wish that team would play fair for once!” says Bolin, throwing his head back and then flipping it forward so his chin almost touches his chest.

“I swear, when that smug-ass motherfucker who knocked over the goalie comes out here, he is going to get it. I’ll show him. I’ll wipe that stupid, creepy smirk off his stupid face,” Korra says, evidently still fuming.

“Korra, c’mon, take it easy…” Bolin pleads. “I know you’re mad but, I mean, it is just a game. Also, we can’t have you losing your temper like this. You don’t play as well.”

Korra side-eyes Bolin and growls.

“Okay, forget I said anything.” Bolin takes half a step back and holds his hands in front of his face in mock fear. “I’m gonna go find Opal. See you later,” he says.

“Are you okay, Korra?” asks Asami as Bolin walks off.

“I’m fine. I’m just pissed off. We should’ve won that game, but nooo.” Korra growls again, but shorter and more softly than the first time. Asami just wants to hug Korra until Korra forgets about how bad the game went. She wants to see Korra’s adorable grin, not glowering (which is, unfortunately, still kind of adorable). “I’m gonna go sit outside. I’d invite you to come with me, but Mako’s looking for you. Which I was supposed to tell you. So… Yeah. See ya.”

“Bye, Korra.” Asami sits down on a nearby bench and scans the steadily emptying warming room for Mako, fixing her eyes on the door to the locker rooms when she sees no sign of him. He walks out soon after she sits down, sees her, and comes to sit down next to her.

“Hi, Mako. Sorry about the game. You guys played great.”

“It’s alright. There’s always games like that. It’s just frustrating.” Mako is silent for a few moments, then turns to Asami. “Hey, so, I was wondering. Uh, Bolin’s going to a movie or something with Opal tonight and I was wondering if you, uh, maybe wanted to go out to dinner or something?”

“Oh my goodness, Mako, are you asking me out?”

“I… Yes. I am,” Mako says, gaining confidence. Asami doesn’t want to go out with Mako. He’s just a friend.

She says yes anyway. “I’d love to. What time?”

“I’ll pick you up in like 45 minutes, I need a shower,” he says.

“Okay. I’ll see you then.”

The two of them walk out to their cars, Bolin having evidently left with Opal. Asami only agreed to the date in order to keep up appearances, and maybe keep her dad off her back for a little while. She regrets it. She knows she won’t be happy dating Mako, and she knows she won’t make him as happy as he deserves, but she just wants a normal life. If it means people think she’s straight, Asami is willing to go on a few dates with Mako.

Korra makes the whole situation worse. Asami has known her for two weeks now, but she still wants her as much as she did the first day she saw her.

By the time she gets home, Asami is ready for an emotional breakdown, but she forces all her emotions, her feelings for Korra, deep down past the pit of her stomach. She must keep up appearances. After all, she has a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to state for the record that my experiences of hockey are limited to my younger brother's games, which I attended from the ages of about 8-12, and weren't quite the same as high school hockey. If anyone has a correction, let me know. If anyone has a question about the hockey terminology used, also let me know. I can't really tell how much of it is obvious.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mako is a terrible teacher, Korra is a great teacher, and Asami kind of learns how to ice skate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes I'm still alive, just drowning in school work. Already. I was going to put the Mario Kart tournament at the end of this chapter, but the ice skating part alone is already longer than the first two chapters combined. Oops. Mario Kart tournament will be the next chapter. Anyway, enjoy.

It is late February, and Asami has been on several dates with Mako since he asked her out last month. She enjoys spending time with Mako, but only as friends. She still feels no attraction to him, even though she had hoped he could win her over and make her straight.

It hadn’t worked.

She still found herself attracted to Korra, and had finally admitted to herself that there was no way this still counted as an infatuation. It still wasn’t something she wanted, though. Even though Korra was attractive, and so good at hockey there were college scouts at Republic City’s games, and frustratingly well-built, and hilarious in a crude, boisterous way, she was still a girl. Asami Sato could not allow herself to be attracted to girls.

Asami Sato could just say fuck it, allow this attraction, break up with Mako, ask Korra out. Go against everything she had been taught by her father since she had made the mistake of saying she thought Ariel’s daughter in The Little Mermaid 2 was cute.

Lately, she had been leaning toward saying “fuck it.”

*****

Asami had been planning on a date with Mako at his house that evening, but was kind of glad when he called her with a last minute change of plans.

“Bo’s hanging out with Opal this evening and is absolutely adamant that we go on a double date. Korra found out since Bolin was basically yelling about it at lunch yesterday and now she wants to come too. So I guess we don’t really have a date anymore. Unless you want to. We can cancel on them or sneak off or whatever.”

“No, that’s alright with me. We can have a nice little party or something. I can kick some ass at Mario Kart,” Asami replied. Her driving skills translated surprisingly well to video games.

“Um, actually, Opal suggested we all go ice skating. But we can probably fit in a Mario Kart tournament afterwards,” said Mako

“Mako. I can’t ice skate.”

There was silence from Mako.

“... Oh. I… didn’t know that. Okay, well, I guess I can teach you. It’s pretty simple.”

“Well, alright. But now the Mario Kart tournament has to be guaranteed.”

“Fair enough. You really never learned how to ice skate?” Mako sounded incredulous.

“Nope. Weird, huh? I just never had a reason to learn, I guess.”

“That is weird. Alright, well… I’ll see you then.”

“See you.”

*****

Asami had spent the last ten minutes looking for a lost glove. Despite her organization of her papers and school things, she was terrible at keeping track of items like gloves, umbrellas, and chargers. When she checked her phone after finally discovering the elusive glove serving to mark her place in a math textbook, she had two texts, one from Mako and one from a number she didn’t recognize. She read the one from Mako first.

“Korra just texted me and she doesn’t have a ride, so will you pick her up? I gave her your number.” Asami realized the unknown number was probably Korra. The prospect of having Korra’s phone number was weirdly exciting to her.

She opened the text from the unknown number next. Sure enough, it was Korra. “Hey, it’s Korra, Mako gave me your number. He said you’d probably be able to pick me up. My address is 4447 Kings Dr.”

Asami saved Korra’s contact and replied to the message. “Sure. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

*****

Asami pulls into Korra’s driveway and no sooner has she put her car in park than Korra slips out the front door, evidently trying to keep a dog inside the house, and jumps down the three porch steps with her skates in one hand. She opens the passenger side door and falls sideways into the seat with very little control. Asami giggles at the display of clumsiness.

“Hey, are you laughing at me?” Korra asks, tucking her skates between her feet.

“Sorry. You’re just very, um, graceful,” Asami replies, pulling out of the driveway.

“That’s me. Are we going to Mako’s house or straight to the rink?”

“I don’t actually know. Text him for me. They’re both in the same general direction from here, so it doesn’t matter too much”

“I’m surprised you don’t know the plan, Ms. Organized Engineer,” Korra says.

“Well excuse me for not knowing the full details of the very last minute schedule change,” says Asami.

Korra types away at her phone, then drops it in her lap and looks up. “You have good music taste.”

“Thank you,” says Asami. Her car radio is currently tuned to the indie rock station, as it almost always is. A few moments pass in silence before Korra’s phone goes off.

“Mako says just go straight to the ice rink,” Korra says.

“Alright.” They lapse into silence again as Asami eases her car to a stop at a red light.

The rest of the drive is spent in silence save for the radio. Asami pulls into a spot at the rink and turns off the car. She and Korra climb out and walk inside where Mako, Bolin, and Opal are waiting. Mako and Bolin have their skates on, and Bolin is tying Opal’s. Korra and Asami pay and walk in to meet the others.

When Asami brings her skates back from the rental counter, Mako stands and pulls her into a hug. “Hey. Ready to learn ice skating?” he asks.

“Oh, I suppose,” she replies.

“Wait, can you not ice skate?” Bolin asks. He seems thoroughly shocked.

“I can’t. Never learned. Mako said he’d teach me, though.”

“Hm, well, no offense to Mako, and not to scare you or anything, but Mako’s kind of a terrible teacher,” Bolin says in an exaggerated stage whisper.

“Hey! Just because you couldn’t figure out how the damn computer works doesn’t mean I’m a terrible teacher,” Mako replies, offended.

“Mm-hm, yeah, it was definitely my fault. You two lovebirds run along now.”

“Mmph,” Mako growls. “Come on, Asami. Are your skates tight enough?”

“Uh… I guess they are,” she says. She tries to stand but finds it surprisingly hard to balance and falls back onto the bench. Opal steadies her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on. Standing up for the first time is the hardest part,” Mako says as he holds out both his hands. Asami grabs his forearms and he holds tightly to hers as she pulls herself to her feet again. “Well, maybe standing on ice for the first time is the hardest part.”

“Whatever. Just get me to the ice,” Asami replies.

Mako obliges her, leading her slowly across the warming room with her clutching tightly to one of his arms for balance. Bolin and Korra practically run past them, looking almost like they’re skating across the floor. They are followed by Opal at a more reasonable pace, yelling for Bolin to not knock anyone over.

*****

It turns out Mako actually is a terrible teacher.

He has been trying his best, but it has been thirty minutes and he and Asami have only made it around the rink three times.

“I think you’re getting the hang of it. You just have to, like, push out. With your foot. And then kinda… Shift your weight?” he says.

“Okay, but every time I try to shift my weight, I end up falling,” Asami replies irritatedly.

“Sorry! At least I’ve been catching you and you haven’t actually fallen,” Mako says with an equal amount of irritation in his voice.

“Well, if you could just teach me how to fucking ice skate I wouldn’t be falling!”

At this point, Korra comes careening around the corner of the rink and stops next to them, sending up a wave of snow that hits their knees. Opal and Bolin follow, hand in hand. “How’s the ice skating teaching coming?” Korra asks.

“Not all that great,” says Mako.

“Because Mako can’t teach,” Asami finishes.

“I can! I just – Ugh!”

“Okay, you’re both clearly frustrated,” says Opal, “so maybe you should take a break.”

“But I want to learn this!” says Asami. “All of you can skate.”

“How about I try teaching you?” Korra suggests.

“Uh… Well…” Asami stammers. She is hesitant, but she also wants to jump at the chance to spend one-on-one time with Korra. One-on-one time which would most likely involve a lot of touching since Asami still could barely stay upright on skates. She looks to Mako for his approval.

“Fine. Whatever,” he says. Bolin playfully shoves Mako into the boards and sprints off, turning to skate backwards so he can stick his tongue out at Mako. Mako goes after Bolin. Opal sighs and follows them.

“Alright. So. Ice skating,” says Korra. “First, we’re gonna go down to the end of the rink and just go back and forth for a bit. Sound good?”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever,” Asami replies.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Korra holds out her elbow and Asami takes it for support. They slowly skate, or rather Korra skates and Asami mostly lets herself be pulled along, to the end of the rink. Korra guides Asami over to the boards and Asami shifts her grip to them.

“Okay. So, as you’ve figured out, it’s way harder to balance on skates than it is to balance in not-skates. So you’ve gotta stand differently to keep your balance. Did Mako explain this to you?”

“Uh, no, he didn’t,” Asami replies.

“Well, then that could be part of your problem. Keep your knees bent and your butt low, like you’re sitting in a chair or something.” Korra demonstrates the appropriate stance as she says it. “Try it.”

Leaving one hand on the boards, Asami does as instructed. The stance feels stabler than how she had been standing before – upright like she normally would.

“Good! Now take your other hand off the boards, you wuss,” Korra says.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea…” says Asami.

“Nonsense. Do it.” Asami does, and is surprised to find that she doesn’t fall. “Alright, awesome! You’ve successfully completed step one of learning how to skate.”

“Hooray.”

“Damn, Sato, calm down, all you’ve done is stand without falling,” Korra teases. “Now step two of learning to skate is moving forward. Skating is different that walking ‘cause you’ve gotta kinda push your feet out and back instead of just picking them straight up. When you put them back down, keep them flat instead of rolling from heel to toe. Try it. Just skate to me.” Korra positions herself a few feet away from Korra. “You can keep a hand on the boards if that helps.”

“Just out of curiosity, have you taught people to skate before? You seem to know what you’re doing,” Asami asks.

“I have. I gave skating lessons to little kids at the rink where I used to live and I give them here now. Now quit fucking stalling and skate.”

“Fine.” Asami pushes off with her left foot, but as soon as it’s in the air, she loses her balance and falls.

Korra catches her.

Asami feels heat rise to her face and takes a deep breath of the cold rink air to stifle it before Korra can see.

“You’ve gotta keep your knees bent and your butt low, remember? Try again,” Korra says encouragingly. This time, Asami remembers, and she manages three shaky strides to cover the distance to Korra. Korra easily stops Asami’s minimal momentum by grabbing her shoulders.

“Great! See the difference it makes?” Korra asks. She squeezes Asami’s shoulders.

“Yeah. I do. You’re way better at this than Mako.”

“Thanks, I try. Actually, that’s a lie. I don’t have to try to be better than Mako,” Korra says with a cocky grin. Asami had forgotten the power of that smile at close range.

By the time their skating session ends an hour later, Asami can make it around the rink without holding on to anything and can almost stop. Korra stays by her side the entire time, and Asami grows comfortable in her presence. She wants to believe that Korra’s frequent touches – back pats, light punches to the arm – are more than just friendly. They certainly come often enough to seem that way. Still, she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. She just enjoys her time in Korra’s presence while it lasts.

Back in the warming room, Mako is impressed.

“You did it, Asami! I’m so proud of you,” he says, hugging her.

“Thanks, Mako,” she replies.

“Hey, don’t I get any credit? I’m the only reason she can skate now!” Korra says.

“And thank you, Korra, for being a wonderful teacher. I’m also proud of you,” Mako says with mock exasperation.

“You’re very welcome.”

“So, Mako,” says Asami. “About that Mario Kart tournament I was promised?”

“Oooh, we’re having a Mario Kart tournament?” Bolin asks excitedly.

“Yeah, sure. Your house or ours, Asami?” Mako asks.

“Let’s go to yours, it’s closer,” says Asami. She doesn’t add that she’s afraid of what would happen if her dad met Korra. He doesn’t seem to approve of Korra’s “lack of femininity.”

“Alright. I’ll take Bo and Opal and you can take Korra. Meet you there.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, a MarioKart tournament. In which Korra and Bolin are actually children/food vacuums. Also, Asami almost gets emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes I am alive  
> My English teacher dumped a research paper on us and then assigned us another essay the day we turned in the research paper and that was stressful but here have a chapter, finally. Barely edited and very crappy because I just wanted to post something already.  
> Also, did I say earlier that you could expect updates every two weeks or so? I can't remember, but if I did, that was a lie. All I can tell you is that there will be updates.

The drive from the rink to Mako and Bolin’s house takes less than five minutes, and Korra and Asami spend most of the drive in silence since they are still not well acquainted enough to make much more than small talk. Which they both seem to suck at. Asami parks in the street in front of the house as the others pull into the driveway and she and Korra walk across the front lawn to follow them inside.  
  
“Ugh, you guys are lucky you live so close to the rink. I bet you can walk!” Korra says.  
  
“We can,” Mako confirms. They all shed their jackets and shoes and pile gloves, hats, and skates on the floor and couch by the front door.  
  
“To the basement!” Bolin yells enthusiastically. They follow his lead.  
  
Mako and Bolin’s basement is entirely unfinished, but one corner tries to hide this fact. There are rugs and carpet scraps on the ground. Several mismatched chairs and one worn leather couch, all adorned with an abundance of pillows, surround a low coffee table and face a TV perched atop a cabinet that houses various electronics. Scattered across most pieces of furniture are game controllers, games, and movies.  
  
“You guys can just throw all this crap on the table or over by the TV. Anybody want food or a drink or anything?” Mako asks. Bolin busies himself setting up the game. Asami sits on the couch, and Korra sits next to her. Opal settles into a chair.  
  
“Make some popcorn or something, I’m starving,” Korra says.  
  
“Do you guys still have that cherry soda stuff?” asks Opal  
  
“There’s one in the fridge! I’ll get it!” says Bolin. He runs off with a Wii remote in hand to a fridge tucked against the wall by the stairs and retrieves the requested soda for Opal. She rewards him with a kiss on the cheek. Mako heads upstairs to the kitchen.  
  
“Alright, so we only have three remotes, so we’ll have to take turns. Mako has counted himself out of the first round by leaving us, and I suppose I’ll be a good host and let you gals go first.”  
  
“Aw yeah!” Korra says. “Who’s ready for an ass-kicking?”  
  
“I think you are,” Asami replies.  
  
“Oh yeah? You think you can beat the legendary Korra at MarioKart?”  
  
“Korra, you’re terrible at MarioKart,” Opal chimes in.  
  
“Shh! Asami doesn’t need to know that!”  
  
“She would’ve found out soon enough. I’m just saving you the embarrassment.”  
  
Asami laughs as Korra throws a pillow at Opal. They start racing. Asami easily wins the first race, and Opal makes third place, earning her a gleeful high-five from Bolin. Korra, on the other hand, is in tenth place when Opal finishes, and drops to last by driving off the track.  
  
“Wow, Korra, what a stunning display of ass-kickery,” Asami deadpans.  
  
“Quiet, you, that was probably just a fluke or something,” Korra replies.  
  
Mako returns from upstairs about halfway through the second race with a large bowl of popcorn and a bag of Doritos. “Sweet! Food!” Korra says upon seeing the feast. She reaches for the chips. “God fucking dammit! Bottomless abyss!”  
  
“Driving distracted is dangerous, Korra,” says Asami. She remains wholly focused on the screen to prove her point.  
  
The rest of their set of four races passes in a similar fashion; Asami wins every race, Opal comes in somewhere between second and fourth place, and Korra never does better than ninth place.  
  
The next set of races goes to Korra, Bolin, and Mako. It takes them a while to get past the character select screen because Bolin has picked Bowser but Korra wants to play as Bowser and refuses to pick a character. Mako breaks the stalemate by reaching across Asami and taking Korra’s remote to select a character for her. They finally begin to race. Mako is almost as good as Asami is, but Bolin doesn’t seem much better than Korra, although he doesn’t seem to care much. He yells “whee!” almost every time he falls off the track.  
  
After their second race, Asami reaches for the bag of Doritos, only to find that they’re all gone. “Guys, we’ve been down here like twenty minutes tops. How are the chips already gone?”  
  
“Wait, they’re gone?” asks Bolin.  
  
“Shit, they are! Bo, I think we ate ‘em all,” says Korra. She takes her eyes off the screen long enough to turn into a wall and continue driving into it. “Whoops, right, currently kicking ass and taking names at MarioKart, not sleuthing out who ate all the Doritos.”  
  
“I swear, you two don’t even notice how much you eat?” Opal says.  
  
“I’m just really focused on the game,” says Korra.  
  
Bolin belches in reply.  
  
“And remind me again why I’m dating you?” Opal asks Bolin.  
  
“‘Cause I’m cute and play hockey,” he replies.  
  
By their fourth race, Korra has gotten bored and given up on racing properly. “You know what, screw it. I’m just gonna fuck shit up. Bolin, I’m coming for you, Bowser-stealer!” She turns around and begins driving backwards until she finds a question mark box. She drives through it and is rewarded with the invincibility star. “No, I don’t want this! I want something to throw at people!”  
  
“Just use it to catch up with the rest of the race. That’ll get you less powerful power-ups, too,” Opal advises.  
  
“Oh yeah, thanks.”  
  
Asami stops watching the action on screen for a bit and she shifts her focus to Korra. Her forearms are marked with webs of veins and scars and her hands are big, rough, callused, strong. She looks powerful, even curled up against the arm of the couch and hunched over a Wii remote, scowling childishly at the screen. Then her face brightens and she lets out a whooping laugh. Asami looks to the screen again to see what caused this outburst and finds that Korra has acquired three green shells and is about to catch Bolin.  
  
“Shit! No! Have mercy!” Bolin yells.  
  
Korra does not listen. She fires the shells in quick succession, but only one of them hits. She takes the opportunity presented by Bolin’s temporary stop to ram him.  
  
“Mako! Korra’s being an ass! Make her stop!”  
  
“You make her, I’m trying to race here!”  
  
“So am I! You’re a terrible brother, douchecanoe!” Bolin frees himself from Korra’s assaults and drives off.  
  
A few rounds later, Bolin, Opal, and Korra are playing and Asami finds that she now has to give attention to Mako since neither of them is focused on racing. He puts his arm around her shoulders and tucks her against his side. The position is comfortable, and Asami knows Mako really likes her and genuinely cares for her, but she still isn’t sure how she feels about physical intimacy with him. Because she cares for him too, just not romantically, and she doesn’t want to hurt him by pretending, but she also doesn’t want to hurt her dad by not liking guys, which might end up hurting her as well. She hates these thoughts, hates how they sneak up on her at the most inconvenient times, like when she’s snuggled against her boyfriend, whom she is supposed to like, and who many girls actually do like. She closes her eyes to focus on shutting down the thoughts, but evidently they make it past her tight mental barriers onto her face.  
  
“Your turn, Asami. … Hey, are you alright?” Korra’s voice pulls Asami’s eyes open again. She looks concerned and is half holding out a remote for Asami.  
  
“Yup, I’m good. Just tired.” Asami tells the standard lie.  
  
“Well geez, you should take me home now so you don’t crash.”  
  
“I’m taking you home?”  
  
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”  
  
“Of course I don’t. But I don’t wanna make you leave now.”  
  
“It’s fine, I’m kinda tired too. It’s almost 11:30.”  
  
“I should go too, actually,” says Opal. “11:30 is my curfew.”  
  
“Aww,” Bolin whines as Mako says, “Yeah, looks like the party’s over then. Thanks for coming over, everybody.” He stands and pulls Asami up and into a kiss that she does not want. Bolin fits Opal into a tight-looking hug, then turns to hug Korra and Asami. The group walks to the door and Korra and Asami climb into Asami’s car while Bolin and Opal get into the car Bolin and Mako share.  
  
As Asami pulls away from the curb, Korra says, “You don’t really like Mako, do you?”  
  
Asami feels herself start a bit. “What kind of a question is that? Of course I like Mako.” Part of her wants to tell the truth, especially to Korra, but she keeps it hidden. Lie first, be vulnerable later – or never.  
  
“Uh-huh.” Korra does not sound convinced.  
  
“Of course I do. He’s sweet even though he’s really awkward and he’s handsome and polite and he’s pretty good at hockey and my dad likes his work ethic and manners and–”  
  
“And yet for some reason, you still can’t make yourself like him. Come on, Asami, I’m not stupid. Something about you when you were sitting with him just didn’t seem … comfortable.” Though Korra’s words seem harsh, her voice is gentler than Asami realized it could be.  
  
“I do like him. Now, which house is yours?”  
  
Korra doesn’t answer immediately and Asami hears her sigh, quiet and frustrated. “This one, on the left.” She gets out of the car. “Thanks for the rides. I had fun.”  
  
“Me too. Thanks for teaching me how to skate, finally.”  
  
“You’re welcome. Have a nice night!”  
  
It is at this point that Asami feels all the cracks in the walls between her emotions and her body at once. “Korra, wait.” Korra stands just outside the car door. Asami takes a deep breath, stares at the speedometer, and squeezes the steering wheel. “I just … I’m sorry for lying. I’m just scared. God, what am I doing, I barely even know you. I’m sorry. Good night.”  
  
“If you got to know me better, would you be more willing to tell me about whatever’s going on?”  
  
Asami hesitates to respond. “I guess so.”  
  
“Alright. Good night, Asami.” Korra gives her one last grin, too full to be crooked, shuts the car door, and heads inside her house.  
  
Asami feels her phone buzz with a text shortly before she leaves Korra’s street, but she doesn’t check it until she gets home.  
  
The message is from Korra. It merely reads “hey :)” but Asami guesses there’s more to it than that.  
  
And she can’t wait to find out what.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Korra visit a park, shit gets personal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. I'm currently on spring break so you might get another chapter within the next week, but as usual, I make no promises.  
> Unimportant notes about this chapter: The park they're at is based on a park in my town, colloquially know as Quarry Park. Their park is much bigger than mine and has a lake whereas mine doesn't. Also, I chose a great pyrenees for Naga because my friend has one and she (the dog) weighs like 100 pounds. They're huge dogs. So I figured that's a good fit for Naga.

Their first text conversation, the same night as ice skating and MarioKart, had been superficial, merely about favorite colors and seasons and movies.

Their second is about spring break and vacations.

Their third is about Korra’s two times driving and the respective mishaps (three bent signs and one dented car, one instance of the car ending up half in a roadside creek).

Over the course of three weeks or so, their conversations start getting more personal, until the day they finally have the conversation whose inevitability sparked their deepening friendship.

Asami comes home from school on a Friday with every intention of wasting the rest of her day not really doing anything. Unfortunately, her father confronts her as soon as she walks in the door.

“Hello, Asami. Just you?” He asks. She can tell by his tone that this is not merely an innocent question.

“Yes, Dad, just me,” she replies.

“It’s Friday. Shouldn’t you be doing something with friends? Or your boyfriend?”

“Uh, not necessarily,” Asami says. She feels adrenaline drop into her system around her shoulders and stomach.

“I barely ever see Mako. I know it’s really none of my business, but it almost seems like you two aren’t really dating,” says Hiroshi. “Have you broken up?”

“No, Dad, Mako’s just busy. He has to work a lot. You know his family doesn’t have a lot of money.” While this is true, Asami still avoids Mako on his days off sometimes. They don’t go on many dates and often end up hanging out with Korra or Bolin or Opal too.

“Okay, Asami. I didn’t mean to seem confrontational. I’m just worried. After all, this is the first boy you’ve really dated and it seems like you aren’t really dating.”

“Don’t worry, dad. We’re just busy people.” With that, she walks through the kitchen and up the stairs to her room.

She just wants to curl up in a ball and throw a blanket over her body to protect her from everything. She feels like crying. She feels like screaming.

She feels like giving up.

She had been hiding for years from her friends and her father. All that time she had told herself that if she forced her attraction for girls down as far as she could it would leave her body through the soles of her feet and she wouldn’t have to deal with the weight of it anymore.

She feels heavy and hopeless, afraid and alone. And she wants to quit hiding.

She decides it’s finally time to tell Korra what she’d been hiding about herself since the night they went ice skating. Her phone is lying on the pillow, so she picks it up and texts Korra.

Asami: Heeeelp

Korra: What’s up?

Asami: My dad suspects that I don’t really like Mako

Korra: And?

Asami: Well, I don’t, but... I want him to think I do

Korra: Why?

Asami: Promise you won’t hate me?

Korra: Unless you, like, brutally murdered someone, there’s no way I’d hate you.

Asami: Korra, I’m gay. I don’t want to be, but I am.

Korra: I knew it!

Korra: Wait, that was really not an appropriate reaction, sorry.

Korra: Asami, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being gay. I’m guessing there’s someone in your life who told you that, but they were wrong, okay? You’re a wonderful person no matter who you choose to love.

Korra: Also, if it makes you feel any better, I’m pansexual. And everyone still loves me.

Asami: Thanks. My dad absolutely abhors gay people, he’d probably kick me out if he found out.

Korra: Then you should probably not tell him, haha. But if he finds out and he does kick you out, you’re absolutely welcome at my house.

Asami: Thank you.

Asami: I’m really glad I have you.

Korra: So what are you doing the rest of the day?

Asami: Nothing really, I was just gonna read or mess around with some programming or something.

Korra: Laaaame. It’s a Friday, It’s finally nice, and you’re gonna just waste it inside??

Asami: I have my windows open

Korra: Unbelievable. This is unacceptable. Get your butt over here, we’re going to the quarry.

*****

“Dad, can I borrow the convertible?” Asami yells from the middle of the kitchen. She doesn’t know where her dad has gone and doesn’t feel like looking for him.

“Where are you planning to take it?” he yells from the direction of his home office.

“Mako and I are going to the quarry.”

“Sounds good. The keys are in the catch-all,” he replies. Asami notices the gladness in his voice.

“Thanks Dad. See you later.” She grabs the keys and her license and heads out to the garage.

*****

Korra walks out of her house with a huge dog as soon as Asami pulls into the driveway.

“Holy shit, nice car,” Korra says in greeting.

“Thanks. Who’s this?”

“Naga. She’s well behaved, don’t worry.”

“She’s not gonna shed all over the car, is she?”

“Seriously, that’s what you’re worried about?”

“It’s my dad’s car.”

“No, she won’t shed.” Korra gets into the passenger seat and calls Naga in to sit on her lap. Naga complies and leans over to sniff Asami.

“Hi Naga. Wow, you’re freaking huge,” Asami says. “Good thing this car doesn’t have a roof, huh? What kind of dog is she?”

“Great pyrenees. They don’t normally get quite this big, but they’re still big dogs. Also, she has a lot of fluff,” Korra replies as Asami starts the car and pulls out of the driveway.

“So have you been to the quarry before?” Asami asks Korra.

“Yeah, a few times. My family likes to take Naga for walks there.” Naga barks in response. “Naga really likes it.”

They lapse into silence as Asami drives through town to the highway.

The quarry is outside the town in an almost-rural area. It had been used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is now a popular spot for hiking, swimming, and cliff diving. Part of the park is the typical lake found at disused quarries, and the rest of it is hiking trails through the young forest that has regrown since they stopped using the quarry. Interspersed throughout the park are large piles of rock and boulders which are really good for climbing and bluffs that aren’t as good for climbing because they tend to break apart.

Asami pulls off the highway onto a road that runs mostly through soybean fields, and Korra breaks the silence.

“So, uh, are you doing okay?” she asks.

“I guess so,” Asami replies.

“Are you sure?” Korra asks, sounding concerned.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will. I just want to help you be fine as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Asami replies with a small smile. She turns onto the road into the parking lot of the quarry, which is mostly full.

“Wow, looks like nobody else decided to spend the first nice day in forever at the quarry,” Asami says as she parks the car.

“Well, whatever, it’s a big park,” Korra replies. She opens the door of the car and Naga jumps out, followed by Korra.

“Indeed. Wait, do you not have a leash for Naga?” Asami asks.

“I do,” Korra pulls a leash out of her back pocket. “But I’m not putting Naga on it unless we see any park rangers because she’s really well trained and there’s no reason to put her on it.” As if to prove her point, Korra calls for Naga, who has run off to sniff around a picnic table near the parking lot, and Naga immediately bounds over with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Korra bends down and ruffles the fur around Naga’s neck.

“Oh. Wow. That’s impressive.”

“Not really, Naga just really loves me. So, where to?”

“I dunno. We could take the trail down to the lake, I guess.”

“Alright, sounds good.” They find the trailhead and follow it into the woods. The trees are young and sparse enough that they still let a lot of light through, and Asami enjoys the feeling of sunshine on her face.

“Thanks for getting me out of the house,” says Asami.

“No problem. I knew you’d regret wasting today inside if you did,” Korra replies with a smirk. They continue to pick their way down the trail, which is mostly downhill, with Naga running back and forth and in and out of the woods on both sides of the path. After a while, Korra spots a smaller path intersecting the one they’re on.

“Look! Small path! We’re going that way!” Korra yells enthusiastically.

“Korra, no, that’s not a good idea, we’ll probably get lost,” replies Asami.

“Where’s your fucking sense of adventure, Asami? We’re going on an adventure and we’re not gonna get lost.” With that, Korra grabs Asami by the arm and pulls her down the path while calling for Naga.

“Korra, I’m pretty sure this is just a deer path,” Asami says with a sigh.

“So? That doesn’t mean we can’t follow it.”

“Oh my god. Fine. But if we get lost it’s all your fault.”

“I told you, we won’t get lost.”

“But what if we do?”

“Well, then you’ll be lost with me. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

“Uh…” Asami can’t tell if Korra is flirting with her or not, but it sure sounds like it. “I guess not.”

“Oh! Rock pile!” Korra yells, turning onto another path that might not actually be a path and running towards a pile of rocks with Naga at her heels.

“Jesus christ, Korra, you have the attention span of a goldfish.” Asami says as she pushes her way through the branches on the new path to the rock pile. When she finds the rock pile, Korra is already halfway up it. Naga sits at the base. Asami watches Korra scale the rocks with no hesitation.

“Get your prissy ass up here, Asami!” Korra calls from the top.

“Who said I was prissy?” Asami retorts as she begins the climb.

“You didn’t want to go on an adventure!”

“I didn’t want to get lost,” Asami corrects.

“Well, we aren’t lost, and we found an awesome rock pile.”

“Okay, fine. Fine. I guess this is kind of cool.”

“That’s the spirit,” Korra says as Asami reaches the top. Korra sits and pats the spot next to her. Asami sits, too.

After a moment of silence, Korra says, “Asami, you know you should break up with Mako.”

“But I don’t want to hurt him. He’s been dating a gay girl all this time. How do you think that’s gonna make him feel?” Asami asks bitterly.

“I know him fairly well, and I think he’ll be glad you were honest with him. And he’ll be supportive. He’s a good guy,” Korra says soothingly.

Asami hugs her knees to her chest and rests her forehead on them.

“Hey, are you okay?” Korra asks. Asami feels Korra place a hand on her back.

“Korra, I’m scared. Really scared.”

“That’s okay. That’s understandable. Come here. It’ll be okay.” Korra wraps an arm around Asami as she says this. Asami uncoils her limbs and looks at Korra. Korra meets her eyes and smiles at her, pulling her into a crushing but comforting hug. Eventually, Asami relaxes into the embrace.

“Thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S UP GUYS I'M ALIVE. Turf Wars resurrected me (no, I haven't actually read it yet. But I saw my gaybies kiss and that was enough). This chapter is probably the literary equivalent of a dumpster fire combined with toxic fumes but hey, gotta start somewhere I guess. I hate it and I'm not sure I stayed in the same tense the whole time but I've always had trouble telling. Anyway, this feels like about halfway through maybe? I know the basic plot for the rest of the story, just not how many chapters or when I'll be posting them. But I promised I'd finish this and goddammit, even if it takes me two and a half years between updates, I will be finishing it. All comments and critiques are appreciated. And I have lots of ideas for other things to write, so maybe those will be a bit of a motivation to finish this.

Three days later, Asami has a dinner date with Mako. Bolin has their car, so Asami is driving. She briefly entertains the thought of just not leaving her house. The prospect of another date with Mako has been wearing on her all day, and on top of that, she’s decided to tell him the truth tonight. A few more conversations with Korra convinced her of the importance of not continuing this charade any longer, at least with him. She’s still not sure what to do about her father, but maybe when the ball starts rolling, she’ll figure it out.

As she gets dressed, she amuses herself with the idea of wearing a flannel and a beanie and seeing if just that alone would tip Mako off. Probably not – he’s a good kid, but pretty dense. She’d probably have to write “I’M GAY” on her forehead if she wanted to tell him without actually saying anything.

Her father is getting dinner with some potential business partners, so Asami is mercifully able to leave the house without a conversation about the date. She can’t get the thoughts of just how wrong this could go out of her head, and in her distraction tries to put her shoes on the wrong feet and then hits her shoulder hard on the door into the garage. The pain brings her back to the present and, cursing softly, she slides into the car. She looks in the rearview mirror, trying to wipe any evidence of her thoughts from her face before leaving. The light in the garage is dim, the slight smells of gasoline and engine uninviting, the leather steering wheel under her hands cold, uncaring.

She wishes she had a hand to hold. Maybe Korra’s. Korra did say Asami could text her tonight if she needed any support, so…

Asami: Can’t do it. Nope.

Korra: Yeah you can. It’s like ripping a bandaid off or whatever. Haven’t you broken up with anyone before?

Asami: Yeah but. Not anyone like Mako. I actually like him as a friend. All the other boys have just been random ones from classes or whatever. I didn’t really care about them. But I care about Mako.

Korra: You’re afraid of hurting him.

Asami: And sick of hiding.

Korra: Hey, tonight you’re gonna start to stop hiding. And it’ll feel so much better, and Mako will be happy you told him, and he’ll be supportive, and then you’ll have another person on your side. I can’t imagine how you’ve done this alone for so long.

Asami: I’m still just not sure it’s the right thing

Korra: It is.

The sureness of Korra’s last text, the brevity, the period standing proud and strong at the end gave Asami just enough courage to text Mako that she was on her way and leave the garage, pulling out into a soft spring sunset with her windows wide open.

*****

The courage barely lasted to Mako’s house and ran out as soon as she pulled out of the driveway with him. She could feel the stinging pressure under her cheekbones finally starting to work its way out as tears. Mako noticed immediately.

“Asami, oh my god, what’s wrong?” he asked. He looked nervous – Asami knew feelings weren’t exactly his strong suit.

“If I say nothing you aren’t gonna believe me, are you?” she replied

“Babe… You’re crying. No, I’m not. What happened?”

“I’m sorry, Mako, I didn’t want to do this until after dinner but I just- I can’t- it’s too much and I’m- I don’t know-”

Mako cuts her off. “Are you breaking up with me?” he asks. She can hear the dejection in his voice. “Asami, pull over. You shouldn’t drive like this.” Asami nods her agreement and pulls into a Cabbage Corp parking lot.

“So you’re breaking up with me.” Mako’s voice breaks the silence when Asami puts the car in park. She has to hand it to him, this was more perception than she was expecting on his part.

“I… Yeah. I am,” she says, voice unsteady and terrified. “But there’s more to it than that.”

“How can there be more? A breakup is a break-”

“I’m gay.” She interrupts the rising frustration in his voice and notices the surprise on his face. She wants to say more, feels the need to explain herself and apologize. But her voice has left her. Mako’s picks up the slack.

“Oh. Well. That explains it, I guess. Um. I’m glad you told me.”

“You’re not… not mad or anything?” she asks.

“I’m sad, but I know I can’t make you stay with me. I really like you and care about you, but I know that means I should let you go if you aren’t happy.”

It all becomes too much. She doesn’t cry, just closes her eyes and leans her head back until it hits the headrest. She hears Mako speaking, but it may as well be Japanese for all she knows. His arm on her shoulder drives open her eyes.

“Asami. Did you hear me?” She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes quietly.

“It’s okay,” he says. “I just wanted to know, if you don’t mind me asking, who else knows?”

“Korra does. But I want to start telling other people. Bolin and Opal, maybe. But I have to be careful.”

“Why’s that?”

“My father. If he finds out, I’ll probably be kicked out. I’ve known this about myself for years but I was never able to tell anyone. I was always too scared.”

“You and Korra got really close really fast, huh?” he says. There is something knowing in his voice, his almost-smile and one raised eyebrow.

Asami feels heat fill her face and upper body, reaching down the outsides of her upper arms. Had he noticed? She began to panic again, only catching the tail end of Mako’s sentence.

“... really cares about you too. Do you wanna talk to her? She’ll definitely be more help than I am,” Mako says. Privately, Asami agrees. But his presence has suddenly become comforting. The grace and wise kindness with which he took the breakup floored her, but in a good way.

“I do. But… Will you come with me?”

“Huh?” Mako seems surprised by the suggestion.

“Come with me. To Korra’s. Please.” She paused a moment to round up more than just a sentence fragment. “I feel like you deserve to be there for this.”

Mako turned his eyes from her to look out the windshield for a moment.

“Yeah. I’ll come,” he said, finally turning back to her with a small, encouraging smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's a little cheesy to include Cabbage Corp in this, but that gag was the second-funniest thing in The Last Airbender (after Sokka and Momo getting drunk on cactus Four Loko or whatever that was) to me when I watched the series growing up. As such, I must pay it homage.


End file.
